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Anemia is a disease in
which the red blood
cells are not carrying
enough oxygen to all the
systems of the body. The
most common form of this
disease is
iron-deficiency anemia,
and women are much more
vulnerable to it as a
result of menstruation,
pregnancy and
childbirth. The red
blood cells contain
hemoglobin, an iron rich
protein which carries
the oxygen to all parts
of the body. When the
red blood cells or Hb,
fall below normal, the
body is deprived of this
precious oxygen and can
not function. A person
with anemia often feels
tired, cold, sluggish
and weak.
Is there a cure?
Actually for
Iron-deficiency anemia
the cure is very simple,
eat more iron rich foods
or take an iron
supplement every day.
Women need 15 milligrams
(mcg) each day. Those
who are post menopausal
need slightly less, as
do men (~ 10 mcg), and
pregnant women need more
iron (~30mcg). Seeing as
it is very difficult to
ingest this much iron
through diet alone, an
iron supplement is
recommended. As with
everything, use caution
because iron poisoning
is the number one cause
of accidental death in
kids under 6 years of
age.
There is also some
research that shows a
slightly elevated risk
of developing heart
disease in men and
post-menopausal women
who have very high iron
levels in their blood. A
simple blood test can
give you an accurate
reading, to help
determine if your iron
levels are within
healthy range.
What types of food
have natural Iron?
Well for all of you
red meat lovers, you
will be happy to know
red meat is one of the
best sources of dietary
iron, as is shellfish.
If you are a vegetarian,
there are many other
foods that contain iron,
such as, pumpkin, kidney
beans, lentils, and
cooking foods in
cast-iron pans.
Another important
factor in boosting your
iron levels is
bioavailability. This
means how much is
available to actually be
absorbed and put to use
by the body, rather than
be passed out as waste.
The bioavailability of
iron depends on what the
source was and what
other foods or
supplements it is taken
with. Meat and shellfish
have sources of iron
called heme and this is
readily available to the
body. Pumpkin, beans, or
iron found in other
plant sources is called
nonheme, which is less
available. To increase
the absorption and
availability of these
types of iron it is
recommended that you
pare the iron with
Vitamin C. This
increases the absorption
from about 3 % to about
8-10%, which makes it
much it easier to get
the iron you need.
In contrast taking
supplements of Calcium,
or ingesting antacids
while eating actually
decrease the absorption
of iron because they
compete for the same
binding sites
(receptors) on your
cells. It is best to
wait at least 3 hours
before or after taking
the calcium or antacids
to take iron or iron
supplements.
Finally, one other
source of iron
supplementation is
cooking your food in a
cast-iron pan. This can
actually raise the iron
content of the meal by
2-3%.
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